Fear Awakens
by Lady-Starfire2005
Summary: Vampire Drayton Redfern and Old Soul Pandora Jensen have been lovers throughout the centuries, every time she has been reborn. Only this time round, Drayton meets the soulmate he never knew nor wanted. Can he chose between his soulmate and his lover?
1. Default Chapter

Title: Fear Awakens  
  
Author: GenesisX  
  
Email: bluestarz101@hotmail.com   
  
Spoilers: Night World  
  
Disclaimer: Night World, its concepts and characters are property of LJ Smith, I'm just borrowing it for fun. Unrecognised characters and storylines are mine.   
  
Warnings: some minor sexual references and mild language  
  
Summary: Vampire Drayton Redfern and Old Soul Pandora Jensen have been lovers throughout the centuries, every time she has been reborn. Only this time round, Drayton meets the soulmate he never knew nor wanted. Can he chose between his soulmate and his lover?   
  
Notes: Constructive criticism would be appreciated.  
  
Part 1  
  
She was blathering on about the party yet again. Drayton knew he should be listening to what Ellen was saying, but his mind was elsewhere.   
  
"You haven't been listening to a word I've said!" Ellen's voice cut into his thoughts.  
  
"Sorry, I've been distracted - "  
  
"Completely out of it, more like. What's /wrong/ with you?"  
  
Drayton sighed. All Ellen talked about at the moment was the party she was planning for her best friend Amber's upcoming 18th birthday.   
  
"You're her boyfriend, you're the one who's got to get her to the party. Pay /attention/," Ellen snapped. "Where /is/ Amber, anyway?2  
  
Drayton sometimes wondered why he put up with Ellen. The girl talked about anything from she was in the mood for - movies, books, the latest music and fashion crazes, even sometimes what was in the news, or her pointless rabble and politics he felt she didn't really have a clue about. He himself was more a listener than a talker. He wasn't particularly found of Ellen, only put up with her as he was dating her best friend. (Why they were friends at all was somewhat beyond him).  
  
"I haven't seen her since this morning," he answered. His eyes scanned the cafeteria but could see no sign of Amber.  
  
"Well in one respect I suppose that's a good thing. Gives us more party planning time." Ellen took a blue notepad out of her book bag. "Now, I've done the invite list, and most people can - "  
  
"I'll catch you later." Drayton stood up and quickly worked his way out of the cafeteria. He breathed a sigh of relief. Sometimes this whole human life thing was hard. Amber had made things slightly easier for him, though she had no idea who Drayton really was, and he intended to keep it that way.  
  
He was heading for the computer lab, deciding to spend the rest of lunch checking his email when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and read the message.  
  
"She's coming? She who?"  
  
He almost jumped at the unexpected sound Amber's voice, directly behind him as she read the text message out loud. ^Lie^ was Drayton's first thought. "An old friend of mine is coming into town. She's going to be transferring here."  
  
Not exactly a complete lie, but what you might call being economical with the truth.  
  
"Oh." Her arms wrapped around his waist, turning him around. Amber had been joined by a pretty girl with creamy white skin and long curly red hair, dressed in a white blouse and lilac skirt. "This is Genesis, she's new. This is Drayton."  
  
Drayton eyed Genesis up and down. Something about her sent chills up his spine, that he couldn't understand. "Hey," was all he could manage.  
  
"Hi." She looked at him with calm, cool blue eyes, almost as if she were - waiting - for something. The uncomfortable silence stretched on.  
  
"Do you guys know each other or something?" Amber asked, looking from Drayton to Genesis.  
  
"No," Genesis answered. "Can, you show me where the library is? I want to get my books for this afternoon."  
  
"Okay, sure." Amber flashed Drayton a disturbed glance before taking Genesis's arm and leading her off down the hall.   
  
Once she was gone, Drayton expected the uncomfortable feeling to fade out. He felt - he couldn't quite find the words for it.   
  
"Talk about bad timing, huh?"  
  
Drayton turned, scowling. "What is this? Sneak up on me day?" he snapped.  
  
The tall dark skinned boy behind him grinned. "Sorry, what planet were you on?" Noah Williams asked.  
  
"This one, what the hell do you think?" Drayton was in no mood to be polite, anymore. "Anyway, what are you talking about?"  
  
Noah smirked. "Let's just say sparks and new girls fly, and just when Pandora is about to come into town." Noah waved, and walked off down the hall.  
  
Drayton sighed, wanting to kick himself. Noah didn't know what he was talking about. He had to be. There had just been an uncomfortable - vibe - between him and Genesis. Pandora was the love of his life. Had been for centuries.  
  
Amber was merely there to keep the seat warm until Pandora showed up. She was going to be crushed when he let her go, but the less she knew, the better for her. There was nothing between him and Genesis. He had only just /met/ the girl for one thing. There was nothing between them. Nothing.  
  
* * * 


	2. Part 2

Part 2  
  
The wait was always the hardest part. It was one thing adjusting to a new life, it was another thing gaining the memories of an Old Soul, and the most difficult part was the anticipation of the contact from the love of her life.  
  
Though in this particular life, Pandora had run into some unexpected luck. By some unknown means, she had managed to be a born vampire, a Night World lamia. The downside of that meant she would no longer be reborn. Vampires were not Old Souls. She had heard that somewhere, in this life or another Pandora wasn't really too sure, but that was the truth. It didn't matter anyway.  
  
She would miss being new people in different lives. She had been everything from the daughter to an Ancient Roman emperor, to a slave on a pirate ship, to a starving artist in Paris, to an actress in India. She had even had one life where she had drowned on the Titanic.   
  
The bonus part of the being a vampire - was of course, she would live forever, as a Night Person. Her lover, an ancient vampire named Drayton, would find her shortly, and this time there would be no secrets, no scandals. There would be none of that forbidden love crap, no Council to avoid. They could finally, truly, be with each other forever.  
  
Other Night World contacts they had made in Pandora's past lives were helping them get together. Most of hers were through Circle Daybreak, the people eager to get the species together no matter what they were. Drayton had always been a little reluctant to trust them, Pandora had never quite understood the reasons behind that.   
  
Presently, she was sitting in a café/bookstore combination waiting for one of her Daybreak friends to get her the information she had been aching to hear ever since recovering her memories two months ago.  
  
She was too keyed up and excited to read the book she had brought with her. Her concentration only wanted to focus on Drayton and where he might be this time round.   
  
"Have I got news for you."  
  
Pandora looked up, smiling at the speaker, a girl with magenta coloured hair, who walked quickly and confidently over to Pandora's table. "Well?" Pandora put the book aside.  
  
"Eva dumped Max."  
  
Pandora's eyes rolled. Gossip was not what she wanted to hear right now. Before her memories had resurfaced, she'd have been screaming for joy to hear that Max had /finally/ come to his senses and dumped Eva who was one of those annoying perfect and perky cheerleader types Pandora despised.  
  
"That's /not/ what I want to hear about Ripley, and you know it," she whined.  
  
"Really?" Ripley chuckled, sitting down and crossing her black spandex clad legs at the knees. "You and Max have been friends since you were, like, kids, right?"  
  
"You're deliberately stalling! Come on, I'm /dying/ here."  
  
Ripley smiled. "Here's currently in a place called Snakeskin, Texas," she told Pandora. "We've also found a Daybreak foster family for you to move in with there. There's a safehouse too."  
  
Pandora's parents had died when she was young, she had been moving around with various Daybreak foster parents ever since. Now, it looked like it was going to work in her favour. She hadn't really minded, all the people had been typically Daybreak super-nice and everything, she wasn't too keen on moving every year or so. Hopefully this would be the last time that happened. "When do I go?"  
  
"Tomorrow morning."  
  
Ripley stood. "Yep. I gotta go, I've got a job to do. Good luck." She waved, and jogged away.  
  
Pandora grinned, draining the last of the diet Coke with ice and lemon she had ordered earlier. A cold hand on her shoulder made her jump. She looked up into the model perfect face of a beautiful girl dressed in a designer white suit. Lilac coloured hair framed her stunning features. Crimson lips were curved in a strange smile.  
  
Pandora frowned. "Is there something you want, Mercedes?"  
  
"Just to point out something." The tone of the girl's cultured British voice sent a chill down Pandora's spine. It wasn't the accent, that didn't bother her, usually she loved the sound of a British voice, it was something about /Mercedes/ that she couldn't understand. She didn't know why the other girl apparently hated her.  
  
"What point?" Pandora asked. Her shoulder was starting to ache under Mercedes' vice-like grip. Like her, the other girl was also a lamia.   
  
"You might be on top of the world right now," Mercedes said, "but at some point sooner or later, that luck will run out." She let go and sauntered off towards the coffee shop counter, leaving Pandora cold.  
  
* * * 


	3. Part 3

Part 3  
  
He sent chills down her spine. Genesis glanced over her shoulder as Amber led her away from Drayton.  
  
"Are you /sure/ you don't know him?" Amber asked her for the second time.  
  
Genesis shook her head. "I swear, I've never seen him before."  
  
She hadn't and that made her feel worse. She couldn't put her finger on what it was about him. She had never been to this area in Texas before. Her mother was an artist, her father a writer. They'd wanted open space where her mother could paint, and peace and seclusion for her father to concentrate on his writing.  
  
Genesis wasn't sure what it was about the American midwest that was appealing to them. They had lived in Hong Kong, London, Thailand, Sicily and Paris. She had never met anyone called Drayton before. "Certain," Genesis repeated. "Never met him before. Why do you ask?"  
  
Amber shrugged, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. "I got the sense there was - well - maybe a /vibe/ in the air between you guys."   
  
Genesis eyed her. "Vibe?"  
  
Amber chuckled, almost embarrassed. "Sounds totally crazy, doesn't it?"  
  
Genesis smiled. "Believe me, I know crazy and weird."  
  
Her father had once dragged her and her mother to a séance when he had been writing a ghost story once, her mother had pulled them to a nudist colony during her naturist phase. They'd been to a weird club in London where people had dressed up like vampires, last year down the back streets of Thailand and Hong Kong into the seedy side of the red light districts which her father had claimed was more 'research' for one of his books, they had spent several months earlier that year tracking through the Amazon jungle for her mother to find her inspirational streak. Genesis had seen plenty of weird.   
  
"Well this is the library," Amber had taken her, as she had asked.  
  
Checking her watch Genesis had less than five minutes before the bell rang for afternoon classes. She frowned, annoyance furrowing her brow. "So much for the books plan."  
  
Amber shrugged. "Sorry, I guess we didn't have as much time left as I thought."  
  
Genesis had been getting on pretty well with Amber that morning. Amber had shown her around, introduced her to people. She had seemed nice, if a little shy. Now since the encounter with this Drayton guy, Amber's attitude toward her a changed. All because of some weird - vibe - in the air, that made Genesis shiver just thinking about it. It made no sense.  
  
* * * 


	4. Part 4

Part 4  
  
She was all packed and ready to go. A car would be coming to pick her up in ten minutes. Pandora should have been anxious and excited, unfortunately, Mercedes' words had done their desired effect.  
  
What had she meant by her comment? That the bubble would burst sooner or later. Pandora had heard of Old Souls before. She was well aware there were several cases where one party - usually the vampire had been involved with a lover in the past and the lover kept coming back for revenge. It was the story that had happened to the leader of Circle Daybreak himself. As far as Pandora knew, Drayton had never cheated on her. He had never loved anyone but her, and she had never wanted anyone else.  
  
~That you remember~ her inner voice pointed out.  
  
Pandora shuddered. ^Damnit, Mercedes, why do you hate me?^ she thought.  
  
A car horn was honking outside. Her ride was here. She'd meet her new foster family, then the Daybreakers of the town. Then she would hook up with Drayton. She should be as excited as a child on a birthday or Christmas morning.  
  
Yet she was trudging down the stairs with her suitcase as if she was walking to her own execution. She shouldn't feel this way.   
  
"Ready to go?" The cheerful voice of the driver, a shapeshifter named Liam cut through Pandora's thoughts like the sharpness of nails screeching across a blackboard.  
  
She managed a weak smile. "I think so."  
  
"Nervous?" Liam took her suitcase and put it in the trunk of the car.  
  
Pandora could only stand there with a wan smile on her pretty face as she stood there twirling a lock of her black hair nervously. Her stomach felt like led as she said her goodbyes and joined Liam in the car.  
  
"You ever heard of a vampire called Mercedes Kaysan?" Pandora asked, once the car was driving off down the freeway.  
  
"Snooty rich bitch, isn't she?"  
  
Pandora nodded. "Yeah. You know if she has any connection with Drayton? She's kind of got it in for me and I don't know why."  
  
Liam shook his head. "Can't think why she would, but I'll look into it if you like."  
  
Pandora frowned. She wanted to just forget about Mercedes and concentrate on her new family and her new life. Unfortunately, Pandora was one of those people who found it hard to let go of things. If there was something she wanted to know, or had to get hold of, she wouldn't give up until she got her answers. "Yeah, that'd be great if you could."  
  
* * * 


	5. Part 5

Part 5  
  
She really didn't need the irritation of sorting out yet another new girl. Ellen had protested but the other Daybreakers had, for some reason, decided it was her turn.  
  
"But I have my hands full with Amber's birthday party," she complained.  
  
She could see the others exchanging glances, and knew, not for the first time, they were most likely thinking why she was a Daybreaker at all. She shared a Daybreak safehouse with a perky witch, a sarcastic vampire and a know-it-all shapeshifter. She herself being half witch/half werewolf made up the group.  
  
They knew a number of other Night People were in the town. The town itself having been founded by an important member of the Redfern family. The humans had originally been brought in for food and labour. The town had grown since and more people had drifted in than expected. Out of the way and under Night World influence, the human population tended to look the other way when weird things happened. As with the Daybreak ideals, it was their job to make sure things didn't get too out of hand and protect the humans as best as they could.  
  
Now another Daybreaker was supposed to be coming in. Ellen was supposed to show her around and fill her in.  
  
"It's your /turn/," the vampire, Liliana said, sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through some rock music magazine. "There's more a being a Daybreaker than sitting around and planning /parties/." Liliana's crimson lips curled in contempt.  
  
Scowling, Ellen left the kitchen. She should have known better than to ask Liliana for help. That girl was an even more confusing Daybreaker than Ellen was. Liliana was so - concluded and cut off. So Ellen preferred some human friends and a life. Since when was that a crime?   
  
"Melissa!" She caught sight of the witch about to head out the front door. The witch was one of those annoying types of girls who were nice to everyone, no matter who they were.   
  
Melissa turned, blonde curls settling gently on her shoulders. "No," she said flatly.  
  
Ellen's eyes widened. "I didn't even say anything!"  
  
"I know what you're going to ask and the answer is no," Melissa said. "And don't even think about asking Joe either, cause he'll say exactly the same thing. It's your turn to help the new girl whether you like it or not. It's time you started pulling your weight around here."  
  
Ellen sighed. She should have known. "When's she coming?"  
  
"She's staying with the Connells, and is checking in with them tonight. She'll be checking in with us tomorrow morning before school. Then you," Melissa smiled, "get to show her the ropes."  
  
Ellen sighed. "Fun for me."  
  
"Maybe it won't be so bad," Melissa offered. "I'm going to the club, wanna come?"  
  
"I guess." Ellen hurried back into the house, grabbing her purse before joining Melissa. Places to go in small towns were slim to nil. This one had a three screen cinema, a burger joint, a Pizza Hut, and a Black Iris for Night People. Circle Daybreak had helped them open another hang out for Daybreakers and ordinary humans. Unfortunately, there was no way to keep the Night People out entirely, but at least the humans had somewhere to go where they could be more protected.  
  
"What's her name?" Ellen asked as she and Melissa found themselves a seat after they had got themselves drinks. Ellen couldn't see anyone else she knew, so until she did she was stuck with Melissa for company.  
  
"Pandora. Oh, wait, that's her." Melissa nodded to a girl standing at the corner of the bar.  
  
She had long raven hair and smooth-looking creamy pale skin, attractive features, bright shiny green eyes. She was wearing a short silver dress and was looking around fleetingly.   
  
"You think she's waiting for someone?" Melissa said, head tilted to one side as she watched the girl.  
  
Ellen nodded. "Seems like."  
  
She frowned, wondering what was going on. The girl was supposed to be new in town. Who could she be waiting for? She wasn't supposed to know anyone.  
  
"Isn't that your friend Amber's boyfriend?"  
  
Ellen nodded, watching in surprise as Drayton walked up to Pandora. Her face rippled into a bright smile of utter happiness as she threw her arms around him. They embraced for what seemed like ages, then made out for an ice age.  
  
"Are you going to tell Amber or shall I?" Melissa asked.  
  
* * * 


	6. Part 6

Part 6  
  
She was out of her mind. Nell Weald was so tired of hearing Mercedes going on about her family honour and history. She tuned it out. They were supposed to be best friends, though lately, Nell felt more like staking the vampire.  
  
"Why, exactly, should you care about this?" Nell sighed, sitting back in a white leather recliner in Mercedes' room, while she emptied shopping bags on the bed.  
  
"Because all my life I've heard the story from my grandmother. How she was heartbroken and blah, blah, blah." Mercedes held up a glittery white sleeveless top, then tossed it aside. "If we kill the bitch responsible, she'll be happy."  
  
Nell didn't say anything. She'd heard this a hundred times herself. Mercedes' grandmother had been around as long as she could remember (still looked no older than maybe 40, and there was every possibility she was way older) she talked about some great love affair she'd had, and the bitch who had stolen her lover. That girl was some Old Soul who had come back in some girl Mercedes hated.   
  
"What difference will it make?" Nell said finally. "It's not like any of this will bring your grandmother's lover back from the dead."  
  
Mercedes shrugged, taking a pair of strappy silver Manolo Blahnik stilettos out the box and slipping them on her bare feet.   
  
"We've heard of this type of scenario before," Nell went on. "Old Soul and lover and revenge by the wronged party who never winds. Have you ever known it to work out for the third party?"  
  
Mercedes scowled, and didn't say anything, just continued going through her new clothes.   
  
"You can't *stand* your grandmother," Nell went on. "You complain about her all the time."  
  
"If I do this, then she'll have her revenge and won't whine and bitch all the time," Mercedes answered, looking up, eyes flashing angrily. "If you have nothing useful to say, then leave me alone."  
  
Nell stood up and left Mercedes' mansion without saying goodbye to anyone. Though as she crossed the lobby she caught sight of the grandmother watching her from a near by doorway, a very beautiful elegant woman with straight shoulder length thick blonde hair, orchid pale skin dressed in a coral suit, emerald eyes watching her like a hawk. The woman sent chills down her spine.  
  
It took all her concentration not to run across the lobby and out the door. She squared her shoulder and walked out, feeling the grandmother's burning gaze boring into her even after she left the mansion.   
  
Nell didn't breathe a sigh of relief until she was in her green convertible and speeding away. She dialled a number on her mobile phone. "Bryn? - It's Nell. I've tried, but she's just totally obsessed." She paused and listened for a while. "Is she safe?" Another pause. "Well, I know normally I wouldn't care. But I've known Mercedes since we were kids and I don't want to see her destroy herself over something so - petty. And why should this innocent girl suffer?" She paused again, listening to Bryn's comment. She snorted. "Well, maybe not that innocent, but you know what I mean. Thanks."  
  
She hung up, through didn't feel any better. She'd seen a number of people she knew and cared about destroyed and consumed by revenge fantasies that never worked out. Innocent people were caught in the crossfire.  
  
Nell didn't want to loose anyone else.  
  
* * * 


	7. Part 7

Part 7  
  
The following morning Genesis woke to the absurdly loud music of Joni Mitchell. She smiled, also catching the scent of pancakes coming from the kitchen. Her mother must be in a painting mood today. Her father never cooked. Unless it was reheating takeout.  
  
She took her time in the shower, singing along with the loud music. Her mood had improved since yesterday's confusion. Starting a new school had been hard enough, and there was that thing with Drayton - whatever the hell that was all about.   
  
There was even a bounce in her step as she dressed in a floaty rose coloured top and swirling skirt with a pattern of ivy leaves, her red hair hanging loose around her shoulders. She was still smiling when she walked into school. Until she found Drayton opening the locker next to hers. When he saw her his cup of Starbucks coffee fell out of his hands. Genesis darted back, avoiding the spillage before it burned her feet.  
  
"Jesus, what is your problem?" she snapped at him, her cheerful mood ruined.   
  
"Nothing," Drayton muttered. "Sorry." He turned and walked off, pushing through the crowd of whispering spectators.   
  
"What was that about?"  
  
Genesis turned as Amber joined her, scowling. Genesis sighed. "Your boyfriend nearly scalded my feet."  
  
"I'm sure he didn't mean it on purpose," Amber said cooly.  
  
"Look, I don't know what his problem with me is. What's it gonna take to convince you?" She had thought this girl liked her. Now she was getting the cold shoulder? And for what reason? Cause Amber's boyfriend didn't like her. That was pathetic.   
  
Amber smiled, almost sheepishly. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me."  
  
Something about her tone sounded false to Genesis, but she just smiled back. "S'okay."  
  
Amber waved at a girl coming down the hall. She'd introduced her yesterday to Genesis.  
  
"Hey, Ellen. What's up?" Amber's tone had changed again, this time she was bright and cheerful.  
  
Ellen though, looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. "Something I wish had never come here." She glanced down the hall, gesturing at another girl who was hovering a few faces behind her.  
  
"Who's that?" Amber asked.  
  
"Pandora, she's new too," Ellen answered. "C'mon, let's go to class." She took Amber's arm and led her off leaving Genesis and Pandora staring after them in disbelief.  
  
"Wow, they really don't like new people around here, huh?" Pandora said, tucking a strand of shining raven hair behind her left ear.  
  
Genesis nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it."  
  
This girl sent shivers down her spine. Genesis couldn't understand it. First she was upset because of people's reaction to her. And now she had a similar reaction to someone else who was new on the scene. Genesis was normally good at fitting in with different places, she usually got on with everybody. But this town - the place had a strange vibe to it, and the people weren't exactly the most appealing. There was no reason for any of it.  
  
"Well, I guess at least we can be new and lost together," Pandora said. Pandora didn't seem ready to dismiss Genesis instantly. Why shouldn't she like this girl?  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Genesis agreed, her smile back. "What's your first class?"  
  
The rest of the day progressed without any major incidents. They crossed paths with Ellen and Amber several times who were still content to ignore them. Genesis just let it go.  
  
But throughout the day, a uncomfortable tingling was plaguing her and just wouldn't go away. There was no explanation.  
  
* * * 


	8. Part 8

Part 8  
  
Drayton's nerves were bad enough as it was without that Genesis bitch showing up and making things worse. She'd startled him so badly he'd made a complete dick of himself by dropping the irritatingly expensive yet annoyingly tasty Starbucks coffee which he'd overpaid for fifteen minutes ago.  
  
Pandora had come to him last night. While that had been an amazing, wonderful night, the hard part came today. He had to get rid of Amber. Since Genesis had shown up she had been a real pain in the ass, constantly calling him, asking where he was, who he was with, did he know the girl.   
  
Even more annoying for Drayton, was the fact that Pandora now seemed to becoming friends with Genesis. That shouldn't bother him...but it did. And to make things worse, he didn't see Amber until the last of the day.  
  
He could have found her at lunch to get the break up over and done with, but Amber was sat with a bunch of her airhead friends and Drayton couldn't bring himself to approach the table of bimbos.  
  
What had he ever seen in Amber?  
  
The sooner Pandora was settled, the sooner they would be together. Amber would move on and find some human to console her once he was through. Pandora was the love of his life. She had been for countless centuries.  
  
All he wanted was for himself and Pandora to be together.   
  
Amber was waiting for him outside their social studies .  
  
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you've been avoiding me all day," she smiled, reaching out for his hand.  
  
Drayton stood back from her. "You don't know better. I have been avoiding you."  
  
The smile faded from Amber's face. She just stood there and stared at him, looking completely bewildered. "Is it - "  
  
"It's nothing to do with Genesis. There's someone else, and always has been. You were just - convenient - until she arrived."  
  
"Pandora?"  
  
So Amber wasn't as stupid as she seemed. Didn't matter, Drayton told himself. Just get rid of the bitch. "Yes. Pandora. We're through." He shoved her aside and walked over to Pandora who was waiting for him inside the room.  
  
"That was kind of mean," she chided him.  
  
Drayton shrugged. "If I let her down gently she would hang around for weeks. Do you want that?"  
  
Pandora shook her head. She wanted to be with her lover, no matter what. Though she couldn't help feeling bad for the innocent human. There had really been no need for her. Then again, she had never questioned what Drayton did with himself before she came into his life. As soon as he wanted her, she was his, and that was that. He gave whatever life he was living to be with her. They had always worked that way.  
  
Amber just stared after Drayton as he walked away, not sure what to do with herself. How could he /do/ this to her? How could he be so heartless? She had thought there was something going on between him and Genesis from the day that redheaded bitch had arrived. From the way they had acted on meeting each other - it was almost like they had some shameful secret they were desperate to hide.  
  
Only the real boyfriend stealing bitch turned out to be Pandora. The snotty little slut thought she could waltz into Amber's life and walk off with the most important person in the world to her. Tears were burning in Amber's eyes as she watched Drayton sitting calmly besides Pandora a few seats ahead of where he normally sat next to /her/.  
  
"You want to do something about that?"  
  
Amber turned, sniffling. She turned to the girl who had taken what was normally Drayton's seat. The girl was Sunday Jensen, a plain girl with long blonde hair dressed in jeans and a plain blue t-shirt.   
  
"What can /you/ possibly do?" Amber asked, eyeing the girl doubtfully.  
  
Sunday smiled.  
  



	9. Part 9

Part 9  
  
"If Nell can't talk her out of it, why are we bothering?"  
  
Helping Mercedes Redfern was not exactly at the top of Mercury Harman's priority list. Her cousin was a spoilt brat who lived and died by the Night World laws. A self-confessed Daybreaker, Mercury was snubbed and shoved aside by Mercedes. She glared at her partner, werewolf Bryn Ramsey.  
  
"Nell called. What was I supposed to do? Turn her down?"  
  
It was a hot, sunny day in Las Vegas, and the Daybreakers were taking an afternoon off. Well, those who weren't out working were all clustered around the mansion's outdoor pool, enjoying the sunshine.   
  
Mercury scowled, adjusting the strap on her red bikini. "Why did Nell call /you/?"  
  
Bryn frowned, and didn't answer right away. He turned his attention towards the portable CD player he had brought to the poolside with him and began fiddling with the buttons. Mercury waited. "Well?"  
  
"Just because," he answered, almost harshly.  
  
Mercury didn't understand. "I don't see what good we can do anyway. Pandora's under protection of the local Daybreakers in her new town, right? Case closed."  
  
She left her lounger and headed for the pool, diving in the deep end. She ignored the annoyed comments from the several others in her way, focusing on a fast front crawl, swimming lengths, trying to work out her frustration. Why would this piss her off so much?  
  
She should be willing to help change her cousin's views. If her cousin's best friend was willing to resort to Daybreak help, then maybe Mercedes could too.   
  
Though every time that seemed possible, the last few times Mercury had been let down. Nell hadn't been much help. The witch couldn't make her mind up - Daybreak or Night World. Her inability to make a decision was starting to cost lives.  
  
"If you're not careful you're going to run somebody over."  
  
Mercury didn't see Miles Neely until she almost knocked him over. All she knew about Miles was he was a bitten shapeshifter and his sister Maggie was the soulmate of one of the Wild Powers. "You can't run someone over while swimming," she pointed out, running her hands through her long red hair.  
  
"Whatever. You might want to look out before you go through someone."  
  
Mercury sighed. "Sorry. I'm kind of preoccupied."  
  
"I can see that." Miles's head tilted to one side. "Anything you want to talk about?"  
  
Mercury sighed, and even found herself smiling. He was a nice guy, and seemed genuinely concerned. "Unless you can raise the dead, there's nothing you can do. Excuse me."  
  
She felt bad for blowing him off when Miles had only ever been nice to her. But there was nothing he could do. Mercury went back to her lounger and dried off.  
  
"What is your deal?" Bryn asked.  
  
"You /know/ what my deal is. If you want to be stupid and help Nell, then you do it. Leave me /out/ of it." She wrapped the towel around her waist, picked up the few magazines she had brought with her and stalked back into the mansion.  
  



	10. Part 10

Part 10  
  
"I knew something was wrong. Why didn't I see it coming?" Amber wailed, stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth.  
  
She had crashed out at the safehouse after school, Ellen was trying to cheer her up with a pig out and a /Friends/ marathon. It was Amber's favourite sit-com so it should work. Unfortunately, Amber was still whining about her break up with Drayton.  
  
The real reason for the comedy and pig out feast was so Ellen could try and get rid of some of the guilt she harboured for knowing and not doing anything. She should have contacted Drayton, but as Ellen as a Daybreaker, she knew the real reason Pandora was coming to town.  
  
Despite the fact that she knew, it didn't make her feel any better. Drayton was a fool for getting involved with another girl. He should have just /waited/, especially since he had /known/ Pandora would be coming.  
  
"Anyway, I'm supposed to be meeting with Sunday Jensen later. Apparently she and her friends can help me."  
  
The name didn't mean anything to Ellen. She had, however, failed to notice Liliana hovering in the doorway until she came into the living room and turned off the TV.  
  
"Hey! Whatcha think you're doing!" Amber protested.  
  
"You have to leave. We're having a house meeting now." Liliana gave Ellen a meaningful glare.  
  
Ellen's eyes rolled. "Oh fine." She smiled apologetically at Amber. "Sorry. I'll talk to you later."  
  
Amber sighed, and left the living room. Ellen scowled as she gathered up the scattered video boxes and stacked them neatly besides the TV. "This had better be good."  
  
Liliana snorted. "Oh please. How many more Ross/divorce jokes can you laugh at?"  
  
"Whatever. Your point?"  
  
We've heard word of a new vampire hunter grouping town. We had another new arrival about a month ago. One Sunday Jensen. The minute that girl gets settled, we've suddenly got a group of vampire hunters to deal with."  
  
"She's the ring leader," Ellen sighed.  
  
There were plenty of human Daybreakers, but there was a stream of thought Ellen had picked up from some people that there was no need to go blabbing to humans if they didn't know, even if those humans were your best friend. Amber had no clue about the Night World, certainly no idea her boyfriend was a thousand plus vampire. Amber hated physical activity of all kind. She was constantly making excuses to get out of gym class. There was no way Sunday could turn her into a vampire hunter.  
  
"What's your plan?" Ellen asked.  
  
Liliana smiled, pleased cruelly. "My plan? She's /your/ friend."  
  
Ellen watched in disbelief as Liliana walked off. Sometimes she just wanted to jam a stake into that bitch's heart. If she joined a vampire hunter, Amber wouldn't even live till the end of the week. The training alone would kill her. She picked up the phone and called Amber's mobile phone, only to get her voicemail.  
  
That can't be good Ellen thought.  
  



	11. Part 11

Part 11  
  
Everyone thought she was crazy for inviting Amber Hamill to join their vampire hunter group. Sunday didn't care. As far as she was concerned, the more people they could recruit the better. What would be better than a recruit who had just been dumped and had her heart broken by her loser boyfriend who was a murderous leech?  
  
"This is Amber Hamill we're talking about," Lucius Meyers, her second in command was saying. "She can't squash a fly without someone to do it for her. You came here a month ago - "  
  
"And whipped your asses into shape," Sunday answered, putting the weights she had been working out with back in their place.  
  
Sunday's parents were workaholics and never home, certainly never looked in the house's basement, so Sunday and her friends had turned the place into a gym where they could train old and new members.  
  
Lucius handed her a small towel. Sunday stood up, stretching and wiped away the sweat dripping from her forehead and under her arms. Lucius's nose wrinkled. "But Amber - have you ever seen that girl do /anything/ physical? She cries when she breaks a nail," Lucius complained as they left the basement and found themselves in the kitchen of the main house.  
  
The other group members, Parker Litt and Carey Oldham were waiting, neither of them were looking pleased. "Jesus, what is the matter with you guys?" Sunday snapped. "We're few in numbers. We /need/ more recruits. Better of she comes here with us than with those moron Daybreak freaks."  
  
"Come to think of it, she actually does have a point there," Parker pointed out, adjusting the silver strap of her aquamarine top. The others just grunted. The doorbell rang.   
  
"That's her. Carey, go let her in."  
  
Carey sighed, and headed over to the door, muttering under his breath. A few seconds later he came back into the kitchen with Amber in toe. Amber looked from one to the other. "So what's this all about then?"  
  
No one understood the pressure she was under. Mercedes had lost interest in caring what people thought anymore. Even Nell, who was supposed to be her best friend, didn't get it.  
  
"How much /longer/ is this going to take?" She paced around her basement, watching the witch in the centre work. A space had been cleared and three white candles were stuck in their own wax onto the floor, burning.   
  
Thanks to her Harman heritage, Nell would have been so much quicker and more powerful, but since Nell hadn't wanted to help, Mercedes had had to find another witch to do the location spell for her.   
  
Raven Swann looked up from the map spread in front of her and the candles. "Can't you just, like, get a spy in Daybreak to find this information out for you? You're a Redfern, aren't you?"  
  
Mercedes snorted. "Yeah, but if I had those kind of resources, why would you be here? Just /find/ the bitch."  
  
Mercedes wished she had that kind of power, like other wealthy Redferns seemed to. But for some reason, her family just didn't. As far as the Night World were concerned, they were just another branch of the Redfern family. In one respect, it was a good thing, Mercedes was able to get away with breaking a few rules every now and then.  
  
Raven was spreading out a scattering of small coloured crystals on the bottom of the map and was holding up a crystal on a pendant. Mercedes looked away, sighing, not really caring to watch how the spell was going to work. When she glanced back, the pendulum was swinging, pointing to somewhere on the map, and the colourful crystals had rearranged themselves in an arch shape.  
  
Raven's blue lipsticked lips were curved into a smile. She pointed to the map, a few strands of frosty pink hair falling over one eye. Mercedes leaned over, looking where the crystal arch ended and Raven pointed. She smiled. "Okay. Good."  
  
"You know, that town has an uncannily large population of Night People," Raven pointed out casually, gathering the crystals she had used and putting them in a red velvet pouch that had been sat on the floor next to her.  
  
"Really." Mercedes turned the basement lights on as Raven was blowing out the candles. She didn't know if that would be a good thing or a bad one. In a town with a sizeable population of Night People there was bound to be a power struggle between Daybreakers and their harmony for all crap, Night People for control, and vampire hunters trying to rid the town of anything not human. Occasionally there was a pack of werewolves thrown in for good measure.  
  
Old Souls were usually popular amongst all groups, mainly for their information on the past. Their soulmates were always a viable target. Pandora would have her hands full, and without a doubt would be under Daybreak protection. But Mercedes wasn't going to let that get in her way.  
  
"You're really doing this?" Raven asked.  
  
"Yes," Mercedes snarled. "Why does no one get this? I'm killing that Pandora bitch and that's that!"  
  



	12. Part 12

Part 12  
  
By the end of her second week Genesis found herself alone. Pandora had run off with Drayton. Amber had abandoned her totally and was hanging out with a completely new set of people. Ellen was annoyed, felt snubbed and the rumour mill had it that some huge party had been cancelled. The socialists were most upset.  
  
Not that any of this really had any effect on Genesis whatsoever. She had been dropped in the middle of someone's drama on arriving and was snow shoved up the sidelines. Not that she cared, Genesis told herself. As her family moved so often, she rarely had time to get attached to people, knowing she could be leaving at any time and would never see them again.  
  
But still, Genesis sighed as she stared down at the words in her history text book, trying to concentrate on the 2nd World War Pearl Harbour lecture, it would be nice to settle down somewhere and have some real friends, be like everybody else instead of the slightly weird but pretty girl who always seemed to watch from the sidelines.  
  
Genesis was bored of listening to the interesting things happening in other people's lives. She wanted something to happen in her own, something just for her, to give her meaning and purpose instead of just drifting pointlessly from one day to the next.  
  
"She said she'd be arriving in two days," a dark skinned girl with shoulder length platinum-blonde hair was whispering to the pale skinned brunette in the seat beside her. Both girls were a row ahead of Genesis, and it was hard /not/ to listen.  
  
"Why should we care?" the brunette whispered back.  
  
Her friend shrugged. "I was just sayin'."  
  
"Why would Mercedes want to come to this dump?"  
  
"Something about disposing of a new girl."  
  
The teacher glared in their direction and the two girls stopped talking as he continued with the lecture, but Genesis wanted to hear more. Disposing of a new girl? She was still classed as a 'new' girl. Why would someone want to kill her? As far as she knew, she hadn't made any enemies. Apart from Amber who seemed to blame her break up with Drayton on her for some unknown reason, when it was obvious he had dumped her for Pandora. But was Amber really crazy enough to /kill/ her?  
  
Genesis didn't want to think so. When the lecture ended she tried to catch up with the two girls, but their conversation had changed to who was sexier - Ja Rule or Ice Cube? Genesis had no idea who they were talking about.  
  
"Are you okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."   
  
Genesis hadn't seen Pandora come up behind her. "Oh fine," she lied. "Do you know who they are?" She pointed discreetly at the two girls.   
  
"The blonde is Devine Rosewood, the brunette is Foresta Windchime. Why?"  
  
Genesis didn't know how to answer. Could she tell Pandora what she had overheard? Then again, Pandora, of course, was new too. Maybe Devine and Foresta had been talking about her. Either way, hearing people talk about disposing of a new girl was not something good.  
  
"Just something I heard them talking about was kind of freaky," she said finally.   
  
Pandora snorted. "Typical. What was it?"  
  
"They said something about someone called Mercedes coming and disposing of someone." There. She'd said it. Maybe not exactly what she'd heard but close enough. She needed a little more to go on before she decided what, if anything, she was going to do next,  
  
"Lamias and Midnight witches thinking they can get away with anything," Pandora murmured. "Probably all talk." Her smile brightened as she saw Drayton coming down the hall. "I'll see you round." She waved and walked off, a bounce in her step.  
  
"See ya," Genesis sighed hollowly.   
  
Her mind was still processing something Pandora had said. Lamias and Midnight witches? Was she /serious/? What was a lamia, anyway? She vaguely remembered the term from a fantasy novel she had read once where a lamia had been a shape changing woman/snake creature. Something told her that wasn't what Pandora had been referring to. Thinking about it Genesis realised she'd heard the word lamia muttered before, often in companion with mentions of witches, Daybreakers, Night People.  
  
Hearing things others didn't was one of the benefits of being shoved to the sidelines. You got to hear interesting things. Interesting...or in this case just plain weird.   
  
Genesis was certain there was some meaning to all this. For instance a large population of these students here were all startlingly attractive, and a lot of them had fancy sounding names. Like Devine Rosewood, Foresta Windchime. /Pandora/ Jensen. She heard a lot of natural sounding names too, names of plants, trees, flowers, crystals, gods and goddesses from various religions.  
  
Her own name Genesis was a biblical name, the first book of the bible. Her parents had chosen the name as she was their first born daughter.   
  
All this talk of odd creatures and strange names and unusually beautiful people, disturbingly easy and casual conversations about ending someone's life. It all added up to something.  
  
But what?  
  



	13. Part 13

Part 13  
  
She felt better than she had in months. Everything hurt, Amber had never done so much physical work in her life. She spent three hours in the morning before school and three hours afterwards training with Sunday and her gang.  
  
She'd never imagined the darkness that had surrounded her so-called 'safe' every day world. How could be that a whole society of supernatural monsters managed to live side by side her world and her not know about it? The most disturbing thing being these monsters were virtually undetectable because they looked /normal/, like ordinary people. They could get away with evil magic and murder.  
  
And it just wasn't right. Amber had actually allowed a blood drinking leech to /touch/ her. She had even /cared/ and /loved/ him. He'd betrayed her for another monster.  
  
"You're learning pretty quick," Carey told her that afternoon after their training session. Carey was a martial arts expert who had been practicing since he was five.  
  
"I actually /enjoy/ this," Amber said breathlessly, stretching her aching limbs. "When do you think I'll be ready for a real hunt?"  
  
Carey frowned, running his hands through his light brown hair, wiping an arm across his sweaty brow. "Maybe by next week. We usually go out for a hunt a Saturday, this time we'll take you with us. Next time you might even get to kill something." Despite the sheen of sweat on his face, with his long legs and lean body, Amber couldn't help noticing Carey was quite attractive. Sweaty and full of energy herself, Amber needed something the workout wasn't providing.   
  
Carey looked at her disdainfully as she moved towards him, running her fingers up and down his bare muscular arms, toying with the bottom of his New York Nicks tank top. He smiled wryly. "Sunday would kill us if she caught us."  
  
"So?" Amber kissed his cheek. "We don't have to stay here."  
  
Half an hour later they lay in Amber's bed. Amber sighed with satisfaction. She tried to snuggle up to him, but Carey moved out of the bed and into the bathroom. She heard the shower running. Amber didn't get it. He didn't talk a lot, not even during their training sessions apart from telling her what to do. Yet despite his silence he was so damn sexy. Then again, it hadn't taken her much to get into her bed.  
  
Maybe the combination of solitary weirdness and handsomeness was what made him appealing. And at least she was finally over Drayton. Carey's touch had cleaned her. Not that she had ever gone all the way with Drayton, but she'd done enough to need a thorough cleansing from a human male.   
  
Carey came out of the bathroom, fully dressed. "I'm going."  
  
Amber sat up. "Not staying?"  
  
He eyed her almost dubiously "No." And then he left.   
  
Amber's eyes rolled. The other thing she had noticed that came with weird and attractive guys was they had a habit of being incredibly /annoying/ at the same time. Sighing, she got out of bed and into a red satin bathrobe trimmed with black feathers. The doorbell was ringing. Maybe Carey had changed his mind and come back for seconds. She hurried downstairs - only to find herself faced with Ellen/  
  
"Oh. You. What do you want?"  
  
Since she'd started hanging out with Sunday's crowd, Ellen had been furious, she just /didn't understand.  
  
"I was hoping you'd come to your senses," Ellen said.   
  
Amber chuckled dryly. "The one who needs to come to her senses is you." She'd been told all about Circle Daybreak, some group of an absurd idea that humans and Night People could get along and live in harmony together. It was a totally disgusting idea.  
  
"You think I've never heard this before?" Ellen said.  
  
Amber's eyes rolled and she moved to shut the door, but Ellen shoved her foot in the way. "Stay on this road and you'll get hurt."  
  
"I've already /been/ hurt," Amber snapped coldly. "You knew all along who he was, what he was. /You're/ a monster too. I don't want /anything/ to do with you. Leave me alone." With force she pushed Ellen harshly out the way and slammed the door shut before Ellen could get in again.  
  
Where the hell /was/ she? Sunday tapped her foot impatiently. Amber should have been at her place for training three hours ago. She had never shown up. Neither had Carey, for that matter. He wasn't answering his phone, and Amber wasn't answering hers.  
  
"This is crazy!" Sunday complained. Thankfully, Parker and Lucius had arrived to pick her up for school. "Neither of them turned up."  
  
"I told you Amber was unreliable," Parker said with a triumphant smirk.  
  
"Actually, Amber's never missed a session before now, and she's getting pretty good at the fighting part," Lucius put in as he parked his car in the high school lot. "Maybe she and Carey decided to have their own private training session," he added with a wicked twinkle gleaming in his dark eyes.  
  
Parker looked appalled. She shook her head in disgust and stalked off. Sunday didn't understand Parker's grudge against Amber. The idea of Amber and Carey as a couple was unlikely. Carey was a loner, and Amber...  
  
Sunday wasn't sure, but she doubted she and Carey would ever be a couple.  
  
But as the day wore on, Amber didn't show up. Carey did, but he said he hadn't seen Amber since last night. At lunch Sunday called Amber's house, but no one answered. All Carey would say when she asked him again was he hadn't seen her. After school Sunday decided to stop by Amber's place.  
  
She rang the doorbell, but no one answered. Sunday shrugged, and kicked the door down. No one came out of the neighbouring houses to see what the noise was. Sunday entered the house. "Hello?" she called out. "Is there anybody home?"  
  
An uncomfortable feeling was plaguing her, reminding her of a sore or something on the roof of the mouth that couldn't be scratched. Silence echoed throughout the house. She walked quietly around the downstairs rooms. No sign of anyone, anywhere. Everything was neat and tidy.  
  
Where the hell were Amber's parents, she couldn't help wondering. Why hadn't they called the school if Amber was missing? Sunday jogged upstairs, starting to feel a little stupid, like a tight topped, big breatesed bimbo in a bad horror movie, wandering around in the dark when she knew there was a villain ready and lying in wait to attack her.  
  
She pushed open the first door on the right, which she knew was Amber's room. Amber was lying on the bed, sound asleep. Sunday let out a sigh of relief, and let her fury get the better of her. "You stupid bitch!" she snapped angrily. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
  
She stormed over and shook Amber's shoulder harshly, and drew in a sharp breath of shock. Amber's head flopped to the side. There were two puncture wounds in her neck.   
  
The body was cold.  
  
And dead.  
  



	14. Part 14

Part 14  
  
It certainly wasn't something Drayton had ever expected to happen, but every time he found her again Pandora had an uncanny habit of managing to surprise him. He really didn't think that Amber had deserved to die, but Pandora had become convinced Amber was a threat to them. She was willing to destroy anyone who would get in the way of the two of them.  
  
He wanted to leave town. They could go somewhere and be together and not have to care about anyone else.  
  
"Just how did you find out?" Drayton asked her. The following day he and Pandora were standing in the high school hallway at the end of lunch by her locker. It was the first chance Drayton had had to talk to her all day.   
  
Pandora smiled, taking out the books she needed for her afternoon classes, and tucked a lock of her raven hair behind her left ear. "From Genesis, actually."  
  
Drayton cringed. The girl still had a strange effect on him he had never been able to explain. Just hearing her name set his teeth on edge. "Really." His tone was flat, uncaring.   
  
Pandora watched him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Yeah. It's all taken care of, why are even talking about this?"  
  
Drayton shrugged. He didn't know. He would do anything to protect his love, and he had done some pretty nasty things in the past to ensure her safety. "Sorry, I'll drop it." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. He felt her shudder with pleasure as their lips met and bodies pressed against each other. "I've got to get to the other side of the building, see you in English." He kissed her softly once again and then started walking toward the science block.  
  
Just what was it that Genesis had said to make Pandora see Amber as such a threat that she needed to be killed?  
  
"You won't get away with this!"  
  
Drayton sighed with irritation as Ellen and Melissa stepped in front of him, blocking the way. Annoyed Daybreakers were not something he wanted to deal with right now. They stood together, hands on hips, glaring at him.   
  
"Oh please. Why would I want to bother?" he sneered. He was pleased Amber's death hadn't been such a big deal. People died in odd circumstances all the time in this town. The police had already come and gone. Unfortunately Circle Daybreak were not so easy to get rid o. Most of the time he didn't mind working with them, most of the time they were the people who helped him find Pandora when she was reborn. Then again, times like today - they were just irritating.  
  
"Maybe because se threatened to expose you when you so heartlessly dumped her?" Ellen said.  
  
Drayton's eyes rolled. "If I had been planning on killing Amber, I expose all of us. It makes no sense. Now get out of my way."  
  
"But - "  
  
"He's got a point," Melissa cut Ellen off, and moved aside. Drayton pushed past her. He saw Genesis watching a few feet away.   
  
Genesis drew a deep breath as he came over to her. She didn't like the way he was glaring at her. What was his problem?   
  
"You and I need to talk."  
  
"I have nothing to say to you," Genesis said. Go away, she thought. I don't want to be alone with you.  
  
If they were alone together something would happen. Genesis didn't even know how she knew that she just - knew. Whether something happening would be a good thing or a bad one, she wasn't sure. But something would happen. She was certain of it.  
  
"I need to know what you told Pandora."  
  
Genesis frowned, she had barely said anything to Pandora. Except the other day. "I heard two girls in my American History class talking about disposing of a new girl and someone called Mercedes. I might have mentioned it to Pandora."  
  
Drayton looked her up and down, an expression of slight disbelief on his face. Genesis looked evenly back at him. "I had the crazy idea that they were talking about me."   
  
"Why would anyone want to dispose of you?" Drayton asked.   
  
The bell rang, and people started moving all around them, pushing past to be on time for the next class. "I really have to be getting to my lesson," Genesis said coolly.  
  
Drayton nodded. "Meet me later. After school, by the south exit."  
  
Where the hell had that come from Drayton had no idea. He had found out what he wanted to know. There was no reason for him to want to meet her later.   
  
"Sure, I'll be there." She turned on her heel and hurried away, an exited-but-scared feeling growing inside her. Hadn't she just been thinking she didn't want to be alone with Drayton? Now she was arranging to meet him privately. It made no sense.  
  
Drayton slipped into chemistry ten minutes late, though he was still thinking about Genesis more than ever. We'll find out later, he thought. When we meet, we'll get our answers.  
  



	15. Part 15

Part 15

"I don't understand," Carey shook his head. He stared in disbelief at Amber's body. How could she be dead? He hadn't really felt anything for Amber - it had only been his job to train her to be a real vampire hunter. When he had slept with her it had been a spur of the moment thing. He'd told Amber she was just about ready to be a real hunter and he would take her with them the next time the group went on a hunt - had Amber got ahead of herself and gone on her own?

Sunday shrugged. "You haven't seen her since yesterday?"

"No," Carey answered.

Parker and Lucius were hovering in the doorway, both looking at the floor or at the wall rather than the body. Neither of them had liked Amber, neither thought she was good enough material to be a vampire hunter.

"So how many are we dealing with?" Parker asked, entering the room and breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Is it one or a group of new monsters in town?" Parker moved over to the bed and pushed back the covers examining the bite mark on Amber's neck. Her dark hair fell over her forehead as she bent closer to get a better look. Tossing back her dark hair she raised her head and shrugged. "Just because there is one bite doesn't mean there's one vampire responsible."

"There's no sign of forced entry - apart from the kicked in door," Lucius pointed out, eyes sliding a glance at Sunday.

Sunday shrugged. "The door was locked," she snapped indignantly.

"Could have been someone she knew," Parker said, kicking a pile of clothes by the bed, catching a pair of delicate black satin panties on the toe of her shoe. Her eyebrow rose. "At least she had taste in underwear if nothing else. Label says these are Gucci."

"Didn't Drayton Redfern make a very public display of dumping her a few weeks ago?" Lucius said.

Sunday nodded, walking around the bed and sitting down on it. "Yeah, call me crazy if you want but I don't think he did it."

"You're crazy," Parker said instantly, hands on her hips. "Who cares - it's obvious. We should have thought of that earlier."

"That's the thing," Sunday insisted. "It's too obvious."

"Did you forget the part were vampires are blood thirsty monsters who don't think about their actions?" Carey put in harshly. The lesson was something that had effected all of them, it was the reason they had been brought together in the first place. "Amber deserves to be avenged."

There was a silence and he felt everyone's eyes on him. He just looked evenly back at them, his gaze focusing on Sunday. She was supposed to be the group's leader after all.

"Pandora!" Lucius said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Come again?" Parker asked.

"If she hadn't come, Amber would still be alive. She was the reason for the break up. She could have seen Amber as a threat, and that would be motive enough to get rid of her," Lucius explained. "It has to be her."

The group exchanged glances, smirking and nodding at each other. "So now what?" Parker asked.

"We do what vampire hunters do," Sunday answered with a vicious smile.


	16. Part 16

Part 16 

Pandora taped her foot impatiently looking at her watch. Oh, this was annoying! She sat on one of the bleachers on the football field waiting for Drayton. Only thing was Drayton should have shown up half an hour ago. She'd tried calling him telepathically, but he wasn't answering. The last time she had tried was two minutes ago - she had come up against walls in his mind. Walla! He always let her in, he had nothing to hide from her.

She sighed miserably and stood up, picking up her backpack trying to decide where to start her search. Where would Drayton be? He was with her most o the time, either at his place or hers. Using the payphone in the parking lot she called his place, but only got an answering machine. She then called her house. He hadn't left a message for her or anything.

"You want to know what your loser boyfriend is doing?"

The voice belonged to Ellen, the Daybreak girl who for some reason seemed to utterly despise her. Pandora turned around, concerned when she saw Ellen's face - barely concealed glee. "What do you mean?" Pandora asked.

"Come with me." Ellen reached out her arm and pulled her along without even bothering to wait for Pandora to reply. Pandora let herself be towed along wondering where Ellen was taking her. They were rounding the school building coming to a side entrance.

"Look," Ellen said with almost manic cheer.

Pandora looked, jerking her arm free - and her mouth dropped open in shock. No wonder Drayton hadn't come to meet her - he was locked in a passionate embrace and kissing Genesis!

"Well, I'll leave you guys to it then," Ellen said, waving and turning. "Damn that soulmate thing, huh?" She walked off, practically dancing away.

Pandora wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with herself now. What had Ellen meant with that soulmate jibe? Drayton was her soulmate. True, she had ever experienced either lightning shocks or pink sparks as she had heard the connection described by some of her friends. Nor had she felt or seen blinding white light and been pulled into his mind and been kissed by a silver cord, the other way the soulmate connection was talked about.

But Pandora had always truly believed that Drayton was her soulmate - if you really loved a person as she loved him then you didn't need a mystical link to tell you who your soulmate was - you just knew. Just as she had known Drayton always belonged to her in all her past lives.

"I hope you two can explain yourselves," she said bitterly, hot tears stinging her eyes. It hurt to swallow. Her throat had gone dry.

Drayton and Genesis broke apart. Genesis at least, had guilt in her expression. "I don't know what to tell you. It just - sort of happened," Genesis said.

Pandora just stood there, staring at them. As if that crappy explanation would make everything better! "Fuck you both," Pandora hissed, turning around and running off.

She blinked away the tears that were blinding her vision. Her heart hurt, her entire body ached with the pain of rejection. _Why bother living now_? She thought. She had been so in love with Drayton that Pandora had never even really thought about anyone else. She was falling into emptiness and black dispair. And was jerked out of it by a violent touch which shook her to the core.

Pandora blinked - this time pink dots out her eyes rather than tears, staring blankly, trying to focus on the boy in front of her. His expression was one of absolute horror. Pandora shook her head; dumbfounded, trying desperately to clear the pink haze and maybe regain some of her sanity.

"I-"

"It's pretty obvious," he said angrily. "It's the soulmate connection."

Pandora felt sick. Could this day get any worse, she thought miserably. "Oh. Who are you?"

"Carey Oldham," he answered. "You're the vampire bitch who killed Amber."

Pandora shrugged, sniffling. "I thought she was going to take Drayton away from me." She laughed hollowly. "Turns out it wasn't Amber I should have been afraid of."

There was a hiatus._ Just typical of my luck today_, Pandora thought, wishing the ground would open and swallow her whole. _I get a vampire hunter for a soulmate._

"You might as well just stake me now," she told him. "I've got nothing to live for anymore."

Carey just stared at her. Pandora's eyes closed and she braced herself, waiting for the pain of wood entering her body.

But the pain never came.

Instead, she felt his lips on hers.


	17. Part 17

Part 17 

_What the hell am I doing_? Carey thought. He was holding a vampire in his arms. The vampire who had murdered Amber the night before, just minutes after he had slept with her (Amber).

Her lips were on his, the white light of their soulmate connection melting them together. Her memories were washing over him - memories of past lives, things he didn't care about or even want to know. He didn't wantuntly.

Pandora nodded. She smoothed down her hair. "Yes, I agree. I understand. You're human, I'm a vampire. It's against our laws, anyway."

"I am a vampire hunter - that is why this thing will never work," Carey corrected her. Something about Pandora's attitude disturbed him. When he had run into her she had been a complete mess and looked like she was ready to fall apart. Now she was suddenly calm? It made no sense.

Carey debated. He had come specifically to kill Pandora, to punish her for what she did to Amber. Sunday expected a result. If he didn't do the deed, then the other hunters would want to know why.

"I won't stake you today," he told her, in one sentence betraying everything he'd believed in without question the last eight years of his life since his parents had died. One girlr - that is why this thing will never work," Carey corrected her. Something about Pandora's attitude disturbed him. When he had run into her she had been a complete mess and looked like she was ready to fall apart. Now she was suddenly calm? It made no sense.

Carey debated. He had come specifically to kill Pandora, to punish her for what she did to Amber. Sunday expected a result. If he didn't do the deed, then the other hunters would want to know why.

"I won't stake you today," he told her, in one sentence betraying everything he'd believed in without question the last eight years of his life since his parents had died. One girl had undone everything with a single kiss. "My advice to you is get out of town - go. The other hunters know what you did, and they want vengeance."

Pandora nodded. "I understand." She walked away. Carey watched her go, feeling empty inside.

----------------------------

"What do you think all that is about?" Parker sounded horrified. Sunday didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure she was seeing correctly - she had heard that your eyes could deceive you, and surely what she and Pandora had just witnessed was some sort of magical illusion. They just couldn't have seen Carey let Pandora go.

They couldn't have seen Carey kiss Pandora so passionately first. Pandora Jensen was the vampire bitch Carey was supposed to have been killing.

Sunday's eyes rolled with disgust, as hard as it was to accept, she knew her eyes were not playing tricks on her. Cold reality was - Carey had made out with a vampire. She wished she could get close enough to actually hear the conversation. She turned to Parker. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Parker laughed sourly. "Of course. I'm surprised that stupid soulmate connection didn't come up sooner."

Sunday nodded. Amber was dead. Drayton was still on the loose. He was now corrupting another innocent human - that nice new girl Genesis who had no clue about the Night World and didn't need to know. If it wasn't for Drayton and the soulmate connection she would never have had any clue.

Now Pandora had corrupted Carey.

"Drayton and Pandora had to go," Sunday stated.

Parker stood up. The two of them had followed Carey as he followed Pandora to the south exit of the high school, then Pandora had run off into the parking lot when she'd seen Drayton and Genesis together. Sunday and Parker were hiding in between the few cars left in the school parking lot.

"And Carey?" Parker asked. "He let that vampire bitch _go_ - he can't be trusted."

Sunday nodded. Carey had screwed up. The vampire hunters could not afford screw ups. "He has to go too."

-----------------------------

Pandora waited. She sat in her own car and watched Carey get into his car and drive off. She had lost the love of her life, found and lost her soulmate all in one day. Drayton was gone. She had wasted a thousand life times being in love with him.

She had discovered her one true love. Her real soulmate. He didn't want her because he was a vampire hunter and she was a vampire.

Well, Pandora thought as she got her own car and followed Carey. That can be rectified.


End file.
